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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23617882">Free To Be Unafraid</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rellanka/pseuds/Rellanka'>Rellanka</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Year Of Cloudy Skies [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Attraction, M/M, Spoilers for FFVII Remake</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:01:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,294</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23617882</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rellanka/pseuds/Rellanka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Cloud's emotions during <i>that</i> scene in the Honey Bee Inn. Along with a small diversion that has a bare possibility of actually having happened. </p><p>Spoilers for this scene of the FF7 Remake.</p><p>Very slight gender fluidity, which is more explored in the sequel of this fic. In this fic Cloud likes pretty things and is unsure he's allowed to feel that way, and Andrea makes him feel better about that.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Andrea Rhodea/Cloud Strife</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Year Of Cloudy Skies [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697269</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>257</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Free To Be Unafraid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Just saw the Honey Bee Inn scene last night, and wound up with a new OTP. Love this pairing so fucking much now.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was just here so that he could infiltrate Don Corneo’s mansion and save Tifa. That was it. That was the only reason. </p><p>Then why… why did it feel so nice, having all of these men and women making him up? Making him look pretty? Making him look like a woman instead of a man?</p><p>It wasn’t that Cloud always wanted to be female; in fact, most of the time he was perfectly happy being male. </p><p>But sometimes… just sometimes… when people looked at him- especially when <i>men</i> looked at him- with appreciation in their eyes, he liked it. While some of those looks focused on his muscles and the size of his sword with a lascivious gaze, some looked at his lips, or his eyes, or his golden hair. Some looked at him as if he were delicate, or precious, or beautiful.     </p><p>Cloud <i>liked</i> that. He liked the difference over how most people viewed him, and he liked how it made him feel. How it made him straighten his posture, roll his hips just a little more, put more of a sway into his walk. How it made him feel confidant, made him feel like it was okay that he sometimes looked at girly things and want to try them. How it made him feel like it was okay that he sometimes <i>desired</i> for people to look at him and see someone pretty and feminine rather than handsome and masculine.  </p><p>When he’d come into the Honeybee Inn, Cloud had been bracing himself for the sort of appreciation he <i>didn’t</i> like; the perverted, forceful kind that caused Cloud’s hand to itch for his sword. But even as Andrea made it clear that he liked what he saw, he hadn’t been anything like what Cloud had been expecting. </p><p>Andrea had been pushy, but also so very kind to him from the very first moment Cloud stepped in the door. Even as his nervousness and uncertainty caused him to act reluctant and ungrateful with everything, Andrea just stared at him with those eyes that saw him all too well and didn’t pay any attention to his attitude. </p><p>Andrea, who himself bordered the line between beautiful and handsome in how he dressed, how he moved. Andrea, whose gentle words reached inside of Cloud and soothed and settled a part of him that had felt ruffled and defensive for a long, long time. </p><p>Andrea, who had drawn Cloud into a dance and then dipped him, who had told him to never be afraid of who he was… who was currently staring at Cloud from where he stood at the back of the stage, a silent question lingering in his eyes. </p><p>Cloud battled with himself internally for several long moments before finally giving into his desires after a fight that had his reservations throwing their hands up in surrender, stepping forward and following Andrea to the back of the stage. </p><p>Andrea’s smile turned into something gentler, something happier as he gracefully swept up to Cloud’s side and began guiding Cloud further into the Inn with a gentle pressure to the base of Cloud’s spine.</p><p>As he allowed himself to be guided, Cloud let go of all of his worries for just a little while, and let himself have this. He let himself embrace happiness, for just this small, stolen slice of time.</p><p>(He distantly hoped that Aerith went back home instead of waiting for him for too long. He had a feeling that he was going to be in here for a while.)</p><p>***</p><p>“Leaving so soon?” A gentle voice asked as Cloud gathered up his dress from where it’d been carefully discarded, half folded over an elaborate chair. </p><p>“I… have people expecting me. People I need to help. I’m sorry. …I can’t stay.” Cloud surveyed himself in the mirror. His makeup was a mess. The ‘she’ that Cloud had just barely caught glimpse of in one of the Inn’s mirrors was more of a ‘he’ again now. Cloud felt a little regretful about that, but at least he could get it fixed before he left. There was nothing to be done for the slight stiffness in his stride caused by his pleasurable activities for the past few hours, except wait for his Soldier healing to catch up. (A part of him wished it wouldn’t. The feeling of the ache was something that he wanted to remember for a long time.)</p><p>“That’s a shame.” Andrea said with a soft sigh, “I would have enjoyed more time with you.” </p><p><i>I would have enjoyed more time with you, too.</i> Cloud admitted in his head, before pushing the feeling away. He had no time for it, not now. Besides… The closer to him Andrea was, the more danger he was in. Best not to drag yet another person into Cloud’s mess. </p><p>Cloud made to leave the room, but hesitated as a thought hit him. It wasn’t as if he was oblivious to what part of Andrea’s job most likely consisted of, here in the Honeybee Inn. Had this been part of it? Should Cloud offer to pay him, or would that be an insult? Would it be an insult to walk out <i>without</i> paying him? If Andrea was the owner, did he even do that sort of thing? He genuinely liked Andrea, and didn’t think he should be ashamed of what he did if he did choose to serve customers that way. He especially didn’t want the man to feel like Cloud was trying to shame him. </p><p>Perceptive as always, Andrea must have seen his struggle, or at least part of it, for the man pushed himself from the bed to walk to Cloud with that rolling, graceful stride. When he got to Cloud, he cupped Cloud’s cheek in his hand and directed Cloud’s gaze to his. “You don’t have to worry about any of that, precious. This was something I did for myself, alone. Sometimes, you see someone that takes your breath away and you want to be with them, and even I am not immune to such wants. Thank you for allowing me to explore those desires with you.” </p><p>“I should be the one thanking you.” Cloud said in return, meaning it more than he could say, for so many reasons. </p><p>Andrea smiled and pressed a soft, warm kiss to Cloud’s forehead before relinquishing his hold on Cloud. Cloud stood there in silence before turning without another word and leaving, for some reason unable to bare saying goodbye. Maybe they already had, in a way. Or maybe a part of Cloud just wanted to believe that he would see this man again. (The first man that made Cloud feel alright to be the way he was.)</p><p>Either way, after Cloud had stopped by to get his makeup touched up (and avoid the eyes of the people helping him as they did so with knowing, approving looks) he braced himself as he moved to step out the door. It was accepting that he was walking back out into the reality of the world again, that comfortableness that he’d been feeling here sloughing off him even as he tried to keep ahold of it. Out there, the things that Cloud liked weren’t accepted. Out there, if he let people knew the things he liked, he would always, always be viewed as strange. </p><p>But even though Cloud knew he wouldn’t be able to show how much he enjoyed looking like this, acting like this, there was a part of him that felt bolstered by the things Andrea had said, by his kind words, by his effusive worship of Cloud’s form. It strengthened the parts of Cloud that felt vulnerable, and it was with this strength that he pushed open the door and stepped outside.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have a feeling that the Honey Bee girls distracted Aerith while he and Andrea were busy, before finally sending her to wait for Cloud outside of the Inn.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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